The other day my 15 year old son asked if I had purchased his advent calendar yet. “You know, the ones with the little chocolates,” he reminded me.
I hadn’t planned to get any this year as I wrongly assumed he’d outgrown it. In that moment, I realized he hadn’t. It was a tradition that signaled the start of his Christmas season.
Tradition has been a recurring theme in my life this month and not just because I will be initiating new family traditions as a single mother.
Not all traditions are events that surround well-known holidays. Traditions can be personal and private as Continue reading

Having been first born in my family and first among my friends to have children, be married, get divorced, the middle position isn't a familiar place to me. Yet, it seems that's exactly where I am. The middle of my life. Mid-life.
I've spent much of the past couple years looking behind and evaluating. The current year has been a period of looking forward to make future plans. Helen's death stopped me in my tracks and I began to evaluate this moment of time in my life.
When I met her I was a young teenager, she seemed so much older and mature. She was a single mom, working hard Continue reading

Over my life, there have been strides towards equality, and this past year has seen plentiful discussions of “breaking the glass ceiling” with Gov. Sarah Palin taking a run at the White House. Throughout her vice presidential campaign, I couldn’t help but wonder if a female Vice President would make any difference for the "average woman" at all. It seems to me that women still don’t have equality in their own families and the only way to make wide sweeping changes in attitudes is to begin in the home. This is the place where we formulate our ideas and raise our children with the beliefs and Continue reading

Raised with hopes, dreams and a desire to make my mark on the world, I set out with excitement and the desire to contribute to the "Greater Good." I took a side trip to raise children and support my husband's career only to realize that "I" got lost along the way. I believe we could have traveled together if we'd both understood the importance of equality and the necessity of evolving roles in the family. My dream is that in the future, all couples will understand the importance of supporting each other fully in word AND deed so each can live in a respectful relationship filled with truth and love. Read More…